Mᴏᴜɴᴛ Sɪɴᴀɪ Day 1 – Go back down “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘪 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘚𝘰 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯.” 𝘌𝘹𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘴 19:20 𝘕𝘓𝘛 While I was writing the devotional on the Sabbath (Pause, Reflect, Sabbath), my attention was drawn to Moses and the Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai. I was taught the “first mentioned” of Bible study, and I paged to where the Ten Commandments were mentioned. I lingered for a moment over today’s verse, taking in this special and sacred moment where God called Moses to Him. The first thing God tells Moses when he reached the top is, “Then the Lord told Moses, '𝙂𝙤 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 and warn the people not to break through the boundaries to see the Lord, or they will die.” (verse 21) "Go back down?" I thought. Seriously? Moses had 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 arrived! It was in that moment of reflection that I realized Moses didn’t climb Mount Sinai just once - he made that gruelling ascent eight different times. It made me look at my own life. How many times have I had to climb the exact same mountain? What would have happened if I had simply decided to quit? Believe me, there were times when I threw a tantrum, telling God I couldn't handle a circumstance or that I was "done" with a person. But there are deep, significant, and transformative lessons to be learned here at Mount Sinai, and I invite you to join me for this devotional to discover a story of love, grace, intercession, covenant, and endurance. Pray with me: Father, thank You for the mountains in my life to teach me to draw closer to You, to have endurance in my faith, and to be obedient in what You ask. Equip us, Lord, to become experienced mountaineers to climb the mountains of life with joy and thanksgiving. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. Pastor Iriza www.womenoftheword.co.za